Archer POV
So the dragon wants to eat all the magical energy that is sustaining his reality marble huh? Annoying, but it's not the end of the world yet.
He quickly stretched out his senses, and he could tell that no one had finished their fights yet.
Elizabeth was in a pickle, as she was facing off against Carmilla's anti-female noble phantasm.
Phantom Maiden huh?
He wishes the young dragon girl luck.
He would have helped, but she was adamant about facing her older self alone.
As a fellow hater of reckless younger versions of oneself, he also cheered for Carmilla's success, but he wasn't stupid enough to say it aloud.
Meanwhile, Vlad seemed to still be on the ropes, not that he'd blame him. He was facing off against two servants at once, one of which was Saint George, so it shouldn't be a surprise he's struggling.
Normally, he would have allowed the fights to continue as needed, but they were out of time. Playtime was over, and he needed to have them wrap up their fights so that they could all take on the dragon together.
He looked down at Dark Jeanne. Killing her would be easy, he and Jeanne could do it right now and cut off the magical energy supply, but something at the back of his head was telling him that doing so would end up making the situation worse, somehow.
There were always strings attached, especially on puppets like Dark Jeanne.
Luckily, he had a way to cut through strings.
He grasped the noble phantasm he needed, and he could feel the hilt in his hand manifest itself.
[CasCu: So you have that blasted woman's dagger too? ]
[What's the dagger do? ]
[CasCu: Watch and observe. You can't expect all the answers to fall on your lap can you? What's next? You gonna tell me you have Gae Bolg in here too?!! ]
[( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)💢 ]
He got closer to the wicked woman.
Dark Jeanne noticed his approach, her eyes anxiously fixed to the dagger in his hand.
"W-What are you doing?"
He didn't answer her, and instead, he lifted the dagger into the sky.
"No stop!! Get away from me!!"
He didn't listen to her pleading and plunged the blade into her back.
The dagger didn't cut through her armor, nor did it punch a hole through it like a nail through sheet metal.
The dagger sunk through the armor like it wasn't there, a wicked red light pulsing as it severed all her magical connections.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
✦✧✦
Orleans
Gilles de Rais POV
"Huh?!" His head snapped to the southeast. The connection he had with Jeanne as a servant, it was… gone.
"NO! JOANNE!! SHE'S ABANDONED US!!"
He rolled his eyes when he heard the buffoon Napoleon Bonaparte hysterically sniveling like a child.
"You, I can understand, but there's no way Jeanne would do that to me!!"
"Then she's been killed!! How else would her connection have been cut for the both of us!!" He clenched his fist in anger, "we MUST go avenge her!!"
He doubted that was the case. If she had been killed, he would have still felt the connections he engraved in her soul as her body slowly dissipated.
He could observe her wherever she went, and had seen that red bastard trap her and the others inside his reality marble. A risky plan, one which could end horribly for the owner, since True Dragons like Fafnir could escape such confinement by devouring the servant's inner world.
That was why he didn't intervene, because he believed that with Fafnir present, she could handle herself.
He clenched his fists, now realizing that decision had been a mistake.
Not only was she trapped inside a reality marble, somehow they cut all her magical connections to him. He cannot see or hear anything from Jeanne even if he wanted to, even all the emergency reverse summon failsafes had been rendered useless!!
"Calm yourself, you oversized Neanderthal, Jeanne is not dead. Her connections have only been severed. " He turned on his heel and walked as fast as he could towards the exit. He couldn't waste anymore time, he needed to save Jeanne.
However, just before he could leave the room, Napoleon spoke up.
"Gilles de Rais, I know our hatred of each other is mutual, but we should not let our differences keep us from saving Joanne! So please, form a contract with me!!"
He stopped and craned his neck back, his eyes landing on the desperate man, who was already beginning the process of returning to the throne due to a lack of magical energy. Jeanne had forbidden him from recovering his magical energy through her as punishment for his failures. The only way he could recover his magical energy now was through his Independent Action skill and through eating human souls. Unfortunately for him, Napoleon was not allowed to leave the castle either after he, Gilles de Rais, insisted the modern servant stay behind.
He couldn't help himself, and smiled when he saw the desperate looking man begging HIM of all people for help.
Well, if he was going to ask so sincerely, then he might as well indulge him.
He pulled out his friend François's grimoire and flipped through the pages, muttering a few spells under his breath. After a few seconds, he closed the book with a loud thud and nodded at the future emperor of France.
"Very well, I suppose that I can issue you a temporary pardon in this emergency situation."
He stretched out his hand, and Napoleon, the blind fool that he was, reached out without hesitation.
However, just as the man's fingers were only centimeters away from his hand, a tentacle shot out from the dark edges of the room and grabbed Napoleon's wrist.
"Wha-What is the meaning of this!!?"
His body jerked backwards, Napoleon tried to resist, but his effort was rewarded by having his arm bone popping out of his socket.
"Isn't it obvious? I lied about making a contract with you."
The emperor's eyes widened in shock, "but why?! We both care about Joanne!! And she's in danger!! I need to go see her!!!"
He scoffs at the man's declaration, "the only thing you'll be seeing is the empty abyss as it drags you into its murky depths! For goodness's sake, did you actually believe I would be stupid enough to let YOU lay your filthy, lecherous eyes on Jeanne?!"
Hearing his reasoning, the servant's eyes turned red with anger, and threw a punch at him with his free hand.
WHIP.
Only for that arm to also get wrapped by another tentacle, but it wasn't the end.
Soon, several more tentacles reached out and grabbed all his appendages, yet somehow, the bastard was tenacious enough to not get immediately dragged to his death.
"I knew you were nothing more than a slimy coward! You want to keep her all to yourself, don't you!? You can't stand the fact that Joanne will marry a handsome, well-built man rather than a scrawny, hump back toad like you! Well you can't have her!! Joanne is MY empress and I am her emperor!! She is going to give me my heir! "
"HER NAME IS JEANNE D'ARC NOT JOANNE YOU DELUSIONAL MORON!!" Dozens more tentacles shot out and wrapped themselves around Napoleon, who was now slightly transparent.
Napoleon still somehow resisted their hold, but he could tell that he was losing his strength.
He walked up to the man, getting up in his face, "you were lucky Jeanne found you amusing and competent enough to keep around. If not, I would have done this to you the moment you made your childish little confession."
Napoleon's glare turned harsher, and he was about to say something, but a tentacle in the mouth prevented him from speaking.
He smirked, "I do hope you enjoy the pain I will inflict on you. Unfortunately, I cannot stay since I have business to attend to, but my familiars will take good care of you."
"Grr-" The man's face turned red, redder than he had ever seen him turn before.
He memorized that face of his, a memory which he will cherish for years to come, then he turned around and left.
The sound of flesh tearing caught his ears, but it wasn't from Napoleon.
"No!! I refuse to die here!! I have to see Joanne!! JOANNE!!"
He snapped his fingers and another tentacle wrapped itself over his loud mouth, except this time, spikes protruded from the tentacle's skin.
He could hear his pained groans as the tentacles violently dragged him into the dark corners of the castle.
Turning to look at the man one last time, his smile grew three sizes more devilish than before as he saw the genuine fear in the man's eyes before he was consumed by the darkness.
Napoleon's muffled screams of agony as his familiars tore him limb from limb were music to his ears. Unfortunately, he had to depart this solo performance of death early.
He had to recover the grail.
✦✧✦
Jeanne Alter POV
Her throat hurt.
She hadn't yelled that loud before in her life, but the pain she felt was rather excruciating.
All her servant contracts, all the spells that connected her to her castle in Orleans, even her link to Fafnir. They were all gone.
All except the grail inside her.
"Wh-what did you do to me?" She asked, the raspiness of her voice a reminder of the pain she had just endured.
The red bastard didn't bother to answer her, only scoffed at her like she was an idiot and dismissed the dagger he had stabbed her with.
He merely looked to the horizon, observing the pointless battle of the Berserker and the assassin against Fafnir.
She clicked her tongue, "Fine, keep your secrets, you Red Bastard. You may have severed my servant contracts, and my connection to Fafnir, but your little posse of humans still won't have enough strength to kill a True Dragon!"
When she was stabbed, Fafnir had faltered in his mana collection briefly. He would not be receiving magical energy from the grail anymore, but he didn't need it.
The shock of their contract being cut was temporary, and he continued to absorb more magical energy from whatever was powering this Reality Marble.
However, at a much slower rate due to covering his mouth to prevent swords from stabbing his mouth again.
"Has anyone ever told you that you yap too much?"
She gritted her teeth at the comment, "does it bother you that I speak the truth? Were you hoping to defeat Fafnir by cutting him off his connection from me? Hah! Don't be ridiculous! You can see as well as I can that that isn't the case."
The Red Bastard smirked, "oh, I'm aware. It's just that your arrogant yapping reminded me of a golden-haired bastard I once knew. He always went on and on about how I was a mongrel and that he would kill me for my insolence. "
He ominously lifted his hand above his head, "But you know what?" He asked, the smugness oozing from every word that flowed out his stupid mouth.
"What?" she asked impatiently, already fed up with his voice.
Fafnir let out a groan of pain.
A malevolent eye had engulfed his head.
Staring into the iris made her body shiver, as if it was looking into her soul.
She could tell it was causing her dragon severe discomfort.
"For all the insults and threats the King of Heroes slung at me, that didn't stop me from driving an arrow through his forehead."
Eh… wait… did he say the King of Heroes?!
Gilgamesh?!! This Red Bastard fought and killed him?!!
Impossible!!
"You-You must be lying, there's no way you actually fought one of the strongest heroic spirits in the throne… You're just trying to make yourself look cooler than you actually are. "
The Red Archer didn't answer her verbally, instead, he smirked and brought his hand down in a chopping motion.
High above the clouds, amongst the gears, a massive sword fell from the sky.
And struck Fafnir in the back.
✦✧✦
Archer POV
[Woah!! What was that?! ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD): That was Ig-Alima. The legendary paired sword of Sul-Sagara, a sword that belonged to the Babylonian war god Zababa.]
[Zubat? ]
[JigglyWiggly: Bro. Stop making all of us look bad!! He said Zababa, not Zubat!!! ]
[Sorry. ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD):Anywho, Ig-Alima has also been dubbed the "Mountain Cleaving Sword" due to it being capable of cutting through "one thousand mountains" and is rumored to be impossible to break. It and its paired sword should normally be impossible to replicate with graduation air, yet somehow, GARcher here can replicate it. ]
[GroundHippowdon: That's because EMIYA is the GOGOAT!! ]
[An unbreakable mountain cleaving blade?!! That is so awesome!! Fafnir is cooked!! ]
[GARcher: @ Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD)How do you know so much about obscure historical artifacts? ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD): Oh, it's quite elementary, my dear Emiya-kun. I may have a PhD in British History, but I also have a fascination with ancient Babylonia! Now stop reading chat and focus on the task at hand. The battle is not over yet.]
The ground below him wobbled as Fafnir and Ig-Alima touched the earth, creating a miniature earthquake.
A plume of dirt and dust shot upwards into the sky, obscuring the beast's body.
[Damn, no wonder that thing can cut mountains, it's fucking huge!]
[BattleMANIAC: Take that you stupid dragon!! ]
[StevenLieksMinerals: And that attack once again proves that steel types are just as powerful as dragons.]
[Dragon's-Iris: That's not really a fair comparison! EMIYA dropped a literal mountain of metal on top of the tiny Fafnir! Even your sturdy steel types would not be able to handle that!! ]
[Lusamine_Aether: It's a good thing they're inside this miniature parallel world, can you imagine if this battle happened in the real world? It would destroy the already fragile remnants of France's ecosystem!]
However, that was only for a brief moment.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
An enormous beam of radiant light pierced through the dust cloud.
All the accumulated energy Fafnir had collected from Chaldea, it was enough to destroy swathes of land.
However, due to the angle at which Fafnir was struck, it unleashed the energy at an angle, which caused the beam to travel harmlessly into the sky.
Or that should have been the case, but they weren't currently outside.
Instead of reaching outer space, the beam crashed into one of the gears inside his reality marble. The force of the explosion caused the gear to come to a literal screeching halt.
"Gahh!!" It felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing all his organs simultaneously with a hot knife.
His heart, liver, lungs, and even his legs and brain were not spared from the pain.
The damaged gear groaned as it dislodged itself from its place in the sky and fell to the ground. The shockwave of the landing was enough that it pushed him to his knees.
His ears were ringing, but he could still hear Dark Jeanne laughing at his misery.
Soul damage, especially on this level, was fucking painful, as always.
"Archer!!! Are you okay?!!" Jeanne came running over to help him, but he raised a hand to stop her.
"I'm Fine…" He tried to argue, but Jeanne did not look convinced.
[0ffDoodyJoy: Your entire body just turned into a nasty bruise!! And you're crying blood!! How is that ok?! ]
"Let me handle this Jeanne, " Mozart's voice was music to his ears, quite literally in fact. The melody he played soothed his aching, cramped organs, the ringing in his ears lessened into a dull hum, and his breathing became easier.
"Thank you…"
"Think nothing of it, Archer, but do try not to overextend yourself. You are strong, but you have your limits. "
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind…"
Crack.
They all turned to face the sword in the horizon.
Jagged lines began to form over it, the green energy seeping from its fault lines like lava spewing from under its surface.
"GRAAH!!"
Fafnir shattered the legendary sword with a roar, the seismic activity the pieces generated when they hit the ground was reminiscent of aftershocks.
The dragon looked worn out, it was bleeding from serial places around its body. Its scales were marred and cracked open where Ig-Alima had struck, and it was missing a wing.
But worst of all, it looked pissed.
[(OᗩO ) ] x1434
[N-No way… It broke the unbreakable?!!! ]
[Junior_Researcher: It would seem Frisk's claims were as hollow as the sword was. ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers(MOD): Well, keep in mind that GARcher himself said his copies were inferior, so I didn't lie. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The original isn't hollow, so if it was the real deal, it would have been the end for Fafnir. ]
[HeavenlyDivinePearl: HA! THAT PUNY DRAGON LET A MERE REPLICA INJURE HIM SO BADLY?!! PATHETIC! THIS FAFNIR IS A MERE GARDEN LIZARD WHO HAS GROWN WINGS AND DECLARES ITSELF A DRAGON!]
[ZaWarudo: GET REKT LOSER!!]
"Lucky shot.' Dark Jeanne sounded like she had accepted the way of being concise. However, she was right, it was a lucky shot.
If Kriemhild hadn't blinded the dragon at the last moment, Fafnir would have avoided the attack.
Hopefully now that the dragon was down a wing, she'll actually manage to land a blow on the scaly monster.
"GOTCHA!! BALMUNG KRIEMHILD!!"
A black swirl of red and black energy pierced its back. The dragon's shrieks brought a smile to his face.
'Well speak of the devil, andshe shall appear."
It looks like Kriemhild finally managed to stab the dragon, and in the back of all places.
[Fucking FINALLY!! ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Oh good, so she isn't completely useless after all! ]
[I am still mad about Jenny, but this dragon needs to be taken down a peg. SonI'll root for her, just this once. ]
[Mew_TheSecond: The amount of expletives this Fafnir can convey in a single roar is impressive. ]
[What's is he saying? ]
[Just_N: He just got stabbed in the back, use your imagination. ]
"No way… That wannabe dragon slayer actually hurt Fafnir?!!" Even the fake Jeanne was surprised the berserker housewife managed the feat.
Granted, she had a lot of help, but unlike his attacks, the pitch at which Fafnir screeched was definitely much higher.
In other words, her attacks caused Fafnir more pain.
"She may be a pain in the ass, and has a short temper, but Kriemhild can come in a clutch when you piss her off enough times."
Dark Jeanne growled, but her reactions were starting to get repetitive, so he refocused on the battlefield.
He noticed the sky above was glitching in some areas. If this fight prolongs any longer than necessary, he won't be able to keep maintaining Unlimited Blade Works.
Looking to his left, he noticed that Georgios and Kiyohime were still preoccupied with Vlad, and the French army was still fighting off wyverns.
Every muscle in his body ached, but he still had enough willpower to still snap his fingers.
Thousands of swords manifested over the horde of wyverns, and fell like rain.
Wyverns screeched their death throes as his swords pierced their bodies, killing them.
The last remnants of the wyverns had been wiped from the map.
He also slipped a few black keys and pierced Vlad's shadow.
Hopefully it would be enough for Georgios to land the final blow.
Hm?
He saw thousands of french soldiers yelling out war cries all of them charging to the east.
He let out an amused huff, the crazy bastards were actually fearlessly charging towards a true Dragon.
His smile only grew wider when he felt the weapons in their hands.
It would seem the French Army was not as stupid as he originally thought. They actually paid attention to his earlier announcement about the effects of his broken phantasm ability.
Thousands of men wielding dragon slaying swords were gunning towards grounded Fafnir, was too busy trying to shake off Kriemhild from his back that he didn't pay attention to the swarm approaching him.
He who looked less like a dragon and more like a human trying to scratch the middle of their back but failing due to not having enough flexibility to reach it.
The first man to arrive was quick to run towards Fafnir's toe and stab him in between its toe claw and scales.
Fafnir let out another screech as the pain registered in his head.
[Ouch, right in between the hangnail crevice. ]
[AltariaFloof: This is just like in those climactic battles in those old fantasy movies! ]
[VioletViola: Didn't Dark Jeanne call us a bunch of ants earlier? Lol. Never underestimate the power of bug types betch!!! ]
[Bugsy_Buzz: Yeah!! Bug types Rule!! ]
Fafnir looked down at the swarm below him with disdain as they all desperately fought to claim a spot to stab him.
He let out an annoyed growl, raised a clawed hand to the sky and slammed it on top of the French Army.
Those who weren't crushed under the Dragon's clawed hand were shot into the sky by the upward draft that Fafnir's blow had generated.
Men rained from the sky, those lucky enough to survive the explosion screamed their lungs out before they either died on impact or were unlucky enough to get skewered by the swords resting on the ground.
[Oh man… those poor men. ]
[SurgeOfLightning: Fuck… ]
[TheIcePryce: They fought valiantly in their final moments. May their souls find peace in the afterlife. ]
And that was only the beginning.
Fafnir continued to slam its fists on the ground.
With each consecutive strike just as devastating as the last. Its anger and pain fueling its flailing rampage.
From a morbid perspective, it reminded him of a baby breaking his toys while throwing a tantrum on the floor.
A purple blur caught his eye.
A spray of blood spewed from the Dragon's face as its eye split in pieces.
The dragon clutched its face in agony, allowing the surviving French Soldiers to retreat.
[Wide_OpenSky-la: And Aerial Ace guy comes to the rescue!! ✺◟(＾∇＾)◞✺ ]
It would seem like Kriemhild decided that the ride had become too much for her, as she jumped off the dragon's back, but not before she cut the tip of the dragon's tail off on her way down.
Fafnir roared and whirled around to face her, magical energy accumulating in its mouth.
Something told him the dragon wasn't aiming for a full charged attack.
Luckily for Kriemhild, Fafnir had looked away.
He wielded his bow once again, and materialized another sword.
Caladbolg II.
He ignored his aching muscles and released the twisted arrow.
The arrow streaked over the battlefield until it landed on Fafnir's head.
The explosion jerked his blast off course once again, allowing Kriemhild to get away.
The light of his broken phantasm glowed once again, and all subsequent swords lost Fafnir's dragon slaying abilities in favor of Caladbolg's.
The dragon perked up, its smile growing sinister as it realized it, too.
Fafnir, sensing his weakness, charged at him, trampling over the French Soldiers who were unlucky enough to have been in the way.
Wait, where's that music coming from?
He blinked in surprise, then looked to his right.
His eyes widened when a massive gothic castle emerged from a glowing red circle.
Huh, so she managed to survive Carmilla's noble phantasm? Impressive.
"I'm going to let you hear the biggest hit in the Servant world!"
[Eon_Red: ⁽⁽`o(≧ᗜ≦)o´⁾⁾]
[Is that Eli?!! ]
[Damn, she must be really loud if we can hear her from this distance. ]
[Wait… is she unleashing her noble phantasm?! Um… I think I'm going to turn down my volume. ]
[DragonMasterLance: I put my speakers at full volume. If you don't hear from me, I wish to leave all my belongings to my three Dragonites. :My body is Reggie emote: ]
[DragoonRuleZ: (ㆆ_ㆆ)]
"Time for the finale! Báthory Erzsébet! LAAAAAAAA!!!"
The air vibrated as the sound cannons fired and engulfed not just Carmilla, but also Fafnir.
The dragon ignored the noble phantasm, its momentum propelling it forward.
It opened its maw, likely screeching something, but due to the sheer volume that Elizabeth was emitting, it was drowned out.
[BRUH!! IT HAD NO EFFECT!!! ]
[IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS JUST MILDLY PISSED OFF!]
[I CAN'T HEAR MY THOUGHTS IT'S SO LOUD!! ]
[HeavenlyDivinePearl: Hm, this jade beauty sings a tune that rivals the choirs of the heavens. Sadly, she is playing a lute to a herd of cows. ]
[ZaWarudo: Man I love this song! Does she take requests?! ]
[Eon_Red: Yay! ]
He clicked his tongue when he saw the lack of effect on the dragon. She did warn them that her noble phantasm was ineffective against dragons, so it's his own fault for getting his hopes up.
The dragon was getting closer.
Jeanne ran in front of him, her flagpole ready to meet the dragon head on.
He projected another Balmung, but this time, he twisted the sword into an arrow.
He aimed his creation at the dragon, and much to his annoyance, it began to run in a zig zag.
[He already adapted to the arrows coming at it huh? ]
[Mew_TheSecond: If you were being shot with thousands of arrows that could super effective against you, you would be doing the same. ]
[SurgeofLightning: Oh boy, Archer better hopes he lands a hit, or else he's dead.]
Suddenly, a pillar of blue flames erupted from nearby.
Squinting his eyes, he was surprised to see it was none other than Kiyohime.
[Fire&FlameZ: Fire!! Fire has been summoned!! But whop does it belong to?! ]
[No way, Kiyohime?! ]
[Ho-Crap! She just evolved into a giant, blue fire dragon!!]
[OMA THAT IS SO COOL!! ]
Like a snake hanging off a bat infested cave, the eastern dragon flew at the western dragon and coiled herself around him.
Unlike Elizabeth's noble phantasm, which had no effect, Kiyohime's was the most effective as she brought Fafnir's charge to an abrupt end.
The dragon wailed in agony.
On closer inspection, he saw that her blue flames were cauterizing the exposed wound on his back.
But that didn't make any sense, how can she have hurt a dragon with fire?
How was this young girl so powerful?
[El_Kukui: And here comes Kiyohime with the steel chair!! ]
[Dragon's-Iris: WHOO!! Go Kiyohime!! Show that dragon who's the dragon girl boss!! ]
[Fire&FlameZ: Type chart? What's that? I can't hear you over the screams of my enemies burning! ]
Fafnir clenched its teeth and glared at the blue dragon like it was a pest more than a rival.
Kiyohime opened her maw and bit the True Dragon's neck.
Like a gas leak catching fire in a suburban neighborhood, her body exploded, the intense heat engulfing Fafnir and her surroundings in a blue sphere of fire.
The warm wind her noble phantasm generated blew across his face, drying the blood that had leaked out of his body.
[Fire&FlameZ: BURN BABY BUUUUURN!!!]
[Hotheaded_Quiz_Master: Damn that's hot! It's like a miniature blue sun!! ]
[Fafnir is not just getting cooked, he's being roasted!! ]
Part of him wanted to believe the attack did some serious harm, but unfortunately, despite the fact that he was attacked by two noble phantasms, Fafnir refused to go down.
The loud crackle of electricity and the taste of ozone in the air confirmed his fears.
A pulse of electrical energy exploded, causing the blue flames to be blown out like a candle.
Fafnir was panting in exertion, and it had several burn marks on his scales, but it was free.
The blue flames had been scattered across the battlefield, many of them landing on the unfortunate soldiers who were just standing around, watching the kaiju battle unfold.
By this point, the French Army had been reduced to a fourth of its might.
Kiyohime took the electrical attack head on and her dragon form dissipated.
[Ah crap, we spoke too soon, again. ]
Fafnir's eyes rounded on the falling form of Kiyohime and caught her before she hit the ground.
[Dragon's-Iris: Oh no!! Kiyohime!! Fafnir caught her!! ]
He clicked his tongue, it was too late for her.
He pulled the bowstring back further, the metal groaning from the pressure.
"Wait, Archer, What are you doing?!" Jeanne said, no demanded as she stared at his action in horror.
[Dragon's-Iris: Wait, why is GARcher pointing a loaded anti-dragon bomb where Kiyohime is?! ]
[CasCu: So you've made your choice huh? Welp, I'll pour a drink for the little lady. ]
[ @ CasCu WTF?!! Why are you being so chill about this?!!]
[Dragon's-Iris: Don't you DARE fire that arrow mister!! ]
He ignored everyone's pleas and fired the arrow.
[Dragon's-Iris: NO!!! ]
Fafnir noticed his arrow and dove away at the last moment…
BOOOM
..but his tail didn't escape the damage.
The dragon hissed as it got up again, and fought through the pain out of sheer spite.
His reality marble glowed, returning the anti-Fafnir attributes to his swords once again.
[HE ACTUALLY FIRED AT FAFNIR WHILE KIYOHIME WAS IN RANGE!! WTF?!! ]
[Dragon's-Iris: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!? FUCKING COLDHEARTED ASSHOLE!! ]
[Damn, that was messed up. It's a good thing Fafnir dodged, or else Kyohime would be dead. ]
[TheIcePryce: I see now what kind of man you are. Cold. Calculated. And showing no remorse or hesitation if it means prioritizing the mission. The perfect soldier, but my question is… who exactly are you, Archer EMIYA? ]
Fafnir lifted the petite berserker to his eye level, who was somehow unharmed after his botched attempt to blow up the dragon.
But that mercy was temporary.
Her fate was sealed.
"Kiyohime!!" Jeanne yelled out as she saw Fafnir crush the little berserker in his fist.
Then to add insult to injury, Fafnir lifted the little berserker high into the sky and threw her with all his might.
Kiyohime skipped across the ground, like a stone being skipped over a surface of water, before she lost momentum and fell into her final resting spot with a crash.
✦✧✦
Ritsuka POV
He slammed the door open from the glass carriage, uncaring for the damage that he could have caused.
He stepped foot into the arid dirt and sprinted towards the small crater ahead.
"Senpai! Watch out, it's dangerous!!"
He ignored Mash, as he sidestepped several swords in his way.
He finally reached the crater, and his heart dropped.
At the epicenter of the crater was Kiyohime, her body transparent enough he could see the dirt under her body.
Her once pristine kimono was now in tatters, drenched in blood with dark stains of dirt all around her body. Bile rose from his stomach as he saw the horrid state of her small body, but he swallowed it.
Her entire face was covered in blood, her eyes closed as if she was peacefully asleep.
Kiyohime's already transparent body became even fainter as more motes of light floated in the air.
[PerfectlySaneHex: Kiyohime… ]
[Dragon's-Iris: Look how they massacred my girl. (╥ ‸ ╥) ]
[ (◞‸◟) ] x 342
"Kiyohime!"
He carefully went inside the crater and ran to her side, his knees scraping the ground as he kneeled next to her, and took out his potion bottles from his jacket.
He pointed the spray bottle at one of Kiyohime's worst wounds and sprayed.
The bottle hissed, and like before, the liquid glowed and seeped into her wounds.
However, unlike last time, her wounds were not healing.
[0ffDoodyJoy: She needs emergency medical help. A potion won't do her any good…]
The little Berserker coughed, a glob of blood hit his face but he didn't care for it.
Her golden, half lidded eyes looked at him.
"Ah… Mas…ter… san… "
"Don't talk Kiyohime! I'll heal you! Just hold on!" he cycled magical energy through his mystic code, touched Kiyohime's shoulder, and cast heal on her.
"Wha? Why can't I heal you?!! Heal!!" But no matter what he did, Kiyohime wouldn't heal.
"Gudao-kun… Kiyohime's spirit core… it's been damaged. You can't heal her. "
[Please say it isn't so!! ]
"W-What…" he clenched his fists, refusing to accept Da Vinci's words.
One of his command seals glowed, however, Mash's hands stopped him.
"Senpai! I know it hurts, but her spirit core is broken, it can't be repaired even with a command seal." Mash said, her eyes filled with tears.
He stared at Mash in the eyes, "By this command seal-"
A soft hand grabbed his sleeve, stopping him from completing his command, "It's fine… do not waste… your energy on this Kiyohime… Please, use it against Fafnir…"
He bit his trembling lip, then lowered his hand, the red glow of his command seal vanishing.
"Damn it."
A lull came between them, only the sounds of the ensuing battle in the background were audible, but to him, it was just white noise.
"I'm sorry…"
He looked at Kiyohime
"Sorry for what?"
The petite dragon girl looked remorseful, "that you… had to see such a hideous…. form."
He furrowed his brow, "Kiyohime, what are you talking about? You're not hideous."
[IliekQTthings: He's right!! You're not hideous, Kiyohime!! You're very… bery, cute! .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·. ]
"You're wrong… my dragon form… ."
Dragon form? What could she be? Ah, that dragon form.
"You mean that blue dragon that coiled around Fafnir and blast burned him ?" He asked.
"Yes… that form… it's grotesque."
[Objection!! She was not grotesque! She was cool!! TELL HER GUDAO!! ]
"It wasn't grotesque Kiyohime. Not at all." He was being sincere with his response, but Kiyohime didn't believe him.
"Liar… if I wasn't like this… i would have shoved a thousand-"
"I'm not lying Kiyohime, It was cool!! "
Kiyohime stared into his eyes as he said that, searching his face for any deceit. But when she found none, they widened in disbelief.
"Not… a lie?"
His features softened, "why would I lie about that? Blue flames on a badass dragon? That makes it even cooler! "
Kiyohime let out a gasp at his confession.
[GudakoBot: Waifu Counter 5 ]
[The waifu counter is back!! ]
[Fuck you GudakoBot!! Why do you always gotta update the waifu counter during a super depressing moment!!? ]
Her body started to dissipate faster, she was so transparent that it was hard to see her through his tears.
But he was able to see her frail hand struggle to lift her pinky out.
He knew what to do.
He locked his pinky with hers.
"Till death do us part…"
Kiyohime closed her eyes for the last time, and she disappeared in a flurry of lights.
✦✧✦
Kriemhild POV
Killing Siegfried was a mistake.
She didn't want to believe it.
She thought that she would suffice as a replacement for her husband.
But it's only now, after seeing the aftermath of Fafnir's rampage, that she realized just how badly she screwed them over.
Her selfish act has caused an unnecessary amount of death.
She wasted hours of time they could have spent healing Siegfried and helping him fight the dragon.
...she didn't hate Siegfried.
The truth was that she still loved him.
She wanted to be with him again, to fight alongside him, but she threw that pipe dream in the trash when she let her madness get the better of her.
Only now in the aftermath of his death has she learned her lesson.
And the fee was paid in blood by Archer and by poor Kiyohime.
She surveyed the battlefield, and saw Sasaki Kojirou valiantly fighting against Fafnir. The furvor of his attacks was much more intense than normal.
He manifested with Kiyohime at the same time, didn't he? It's only natural he would seek vengeance for her death.
To think that even a collection of wraiths would be doing a better job of fighting a True Dragon.
Truly, you are a pathetic one, Kriemhild.
She noticed the ever-present sunset had started to glitch, like those video games her Accomplice liked to play.
Her time was running out.
Archer won't be able to maintain this reality marble for long. It was honestly a miracle it lasted this long, even after all the damage Archer has sustained.
She has to kill Fafnir, and soon… but, she's already messed up killing it, what should she do?
'Can I even do it? What if I fail? What if Fafnir shrugs off my attack, even if it lands? What if-'
Suddenly, the heat in her chest intensified.
This feeling… Siegfried….
Her lips still felt warm as she remembered Siegfried's final kiss.
"The fight ahead of you will be fraught with hardship, with pain, and with suffering. But I trust you and your allies shall come out victorious.
Because even as we part ways,
I will be right here with you. Always."
She took a deep breath and let it out, calming her nerves and firming her resolve.
He was right. How could she forget his last words? He put his faith in her. To kill Fafnir.
"I won't let you down… my love."
She opened a communication channel with her Master.
'Kriemhild? What is it?'
'Master. Use all your command seals on me. It's time I finished this.'
'... are you sure you'll be able to land a hit on him?'
She disliked that she was being doubted, but kept her mouth shut.
Her Master had sound logic.
So far, many of her attempts to kill the dragon have been subpar. However, this time was different.
'Yes. I will.'
The line went silent for a moment, and her nerves began to fray with each passing moment. Finally, he responded.
'Fine. Let's do it. I'm putting my trust in you again, Kriemhild… so please don't make me regret it.'
She clenched her fists, 'I understand.'
She turned her attention to Fafnir once more, and to her surprise, she spotted Gergios fighting alongside the purple Samurai.
[Oh, it's you again. Hello Kream. ]
[0ffDoodyJoy: I don't even want to see her face right now, it just pisses me off. ]
[Then why are you still here?!! ]
[0ffDoodyJoy: I have to see this through to the end. ]
She stared at the negative comments aimed her way, but rather than be discouraged, or be angered, she instead used their hatred to firm her resolve even further.
The dominos have been lined up, it was time to knock them down.
She held Balmung to her in front of her, closed her eyes, and focused on the small ember of magical energy that beloved idiot of her left inside her.
'Kriemhild, by this command seal, unleash the full might of Balmung!!'
A surge of magical energy flowed into her, fanning the flame in her body into a blazing inferno of true ether.
[Well, this is new. Can't wait to see how you screw this one up. ]
She guided the heat of the holy energy into her Balmung, and blade responded.
She could feel the shape changing. The sword's weight diminishing significantly.
'Kriemhild, by this second command seal. I order you to KILL the wicked dragon, Fafnir!!'
The evil intent seeped into the sword, and it regained weight. However, it was not as heavy as before.
A mix between both her evil and Siegfried's good.
Holy and demonic.
She opened her eyes, and her gaze was focused on the dragon's ugly back, marred, disfigured and struggling to heal due to Kiyohime the wound.
She raised her sword above her head, and the unstable blade elongated. A massive pillar of white ether encased in a black aura pierced the sky.
[Hold the phone! Something is different this time! ]
[(˚0˚)!! ] x1029
It was during this time that Fafnir finally noticed the light show she was producing, its eyes displaying an emotion it hadn't shown since he arrived.
Fear.
'By this last command seal, Kriemhild, DO NOT MISS!!'
She jumped, the true ether blade propelling her forward.
The dragon twitched, an attempt to evade.
But it was too late.
The same dark energy that had failed to hold him before, had grown exponentially stronger.
He couldn't move away in time.
"Balmung."
She swung down, and the sword of light and dark fell on the dragon.
Fafnir let out its death throes as the energy cut through its scales like they were made of butter.
[SHE ACTUALLY DID IT!! Σ(°ロ°) ]
[Dragon's-Iris: She FINALLY killed Fafnir!! Kiyohime has been avenged!! HUZZAH!! ]
[HUZZAH!! ] x 1382
She locked eyes with Fafnir in its final moments.
It was baffled by its loss.
"Grr…aaagh"
The Dragon's body split in twain, its flesh cooking by the heat of the attack.
Then, he violently exploded into a flash of white and black light.
Fafnir had been slain.
✦✧✦
Ritsuka POV
"Master, are you alright?" Archer asked him as he approached the hill of swords.
He was probably talking about the broken blood vessel in his eye.
"Yeah I'm fine. Nothing, a good night's rest won't fix." He waved his concern away.
"Impossible... you're not supposed to have killed him... you're not supposed to have killed him…"
The voice of Dark Jeanne drew his attention, and he winced when he saw the various swords pinning her body to the ground.
Her sunglasses, once worn proudly on her face, were now broken into pieces.
"Why is she still alive?" Mash of all people asked.
[Mash is right!! Why is she still alive?! ]
[Dragon's-Iris: ... I'm still mad at you GARcher, but if you shank the bitch now, I'll find it in my heart to forgive you. ]
[ViveLaKalos: SHANK THE BITCH!! ]
"I thought it would be too easy for her if I just killed her after all the misery she gave the people of France." Emiya sighed, "Though now that I've seen her fall to despair after Kriemhild killed her dragon, I think it's a good time to put her down like the rabid dog she is."
Emiya was about to project a weapon, but Jeanne stopped him.
"I believe you've done enough to her already, Archer. Let me take care of it." Jeanne walked up to Dark Jeanne, who was still in a melancholic state.
Jeanne didn't look at her in anger, or any other negative emotion.
Only pity.
"This is the end, Dragon Witch. May God have mercy on your soul."
Jeanne raised her flagpole and pierced Dark Jeanne's body.
[ViveLaKalos: LESSSGOOOO!!! ]
"Gah!! Damn it… I can't die yet… not until I kill the rest of France…."
Her words earned no sympathy from anyone around her. Especially chat.
[User donated 100 bits]
["And you'll never get a chance to. You will die here, alone. Faker. "]
Dark Jeanne's head fixed itself on the spot where chat's camera was, her eyes burning with hot tears streaking down her cheeks.
"Shut up!! I'm not a Faker!! I'M A RULER!!!! "
[User donated 100 bits]
["A ruler of wannabe fakes maybe!! You're nothing more than a shitty OC in someone else's twisted fanfiction."]
"I'm Not a Fake! I'm real-"
[IliekQTthings donated 100 bits]
["You killed so many innocent people. For a lie. Your existence is a lie! You're not real!! No one loves you. No one cares about you. You're a pathetic fake person who is totally not cute in any way!! "]
"Gilles cares about me!!! I don't need anyone else!!!"
[JigglyWiggly donated 100 bits]
["That sounds like cope to me. Gilles de Rais is a toad faced child killing fucker. If he's the only person you have to lean on, then there's something wrong with you beyond being a fake person, faker."]
"Shut up!! Don't badmouth him!! You don't know him!!"
[User donated 100 bits]
["Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker." ]
"I-I'm not a fake… I'm…not…" Jeanne began to turn to motes of light.
This was starting to get uncomfortable.
["Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker. Faker."]
"Please… shut up… I beg you please…" Dark Jeanne was speaking through sobs.
[ViveLaKalos donated 100 bits]
["Oh, would you look at that? The fake person is crying. 'Wah, I'm not fake! Stop being mean to me. Ignore the LITERAL MOUNTAIN OF CORPSES I'M STANDING ON!!' FUCK YOU FUCKING DRAGON WHORE!! "]
Ok, that was officially too far.
"Alright, that's enough guys, she's not a fake."
The TTS comments stopped coming, the battlefield grew silent as he spoke up.
Dark Jeanne looked up, her tear stricken eyes in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
He looked her in the eye, and repeated himself, "You're not a fake."
"Senpai, what are you doing?" Mash asked him, sounding confused at his words.
He walked up to Jeanne and got on her eye level, despite his servants' protests.
"Don't listen to what others tell you. You're not a fake, you are real."
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD) donated 100 bits]
["But Gudao!! How can she be Jeanne D'Arc if she cannot remember Madame Romee?! Plus, we got confirmation from GARcher that she was MADE. You're talking nonsense!! "]
"As harsh as Le Chat is Master, I agree with them. If she was my dark side, then her not knowing my mother is something she should never have forgotten. Because memories of happiness are the reason humans feel hatred. Yet all she feels is nothing BUT hatred, that is unnatural even for heroic spirits."
He shook his head, "Jeanne, I'm not trying to argue that she is your 'dark self.' Whether she is the real Jeanne D'Arc or not is irrelevant. What I am trying to argue is that her status as a creation does not make her any less of a real person than you or I."
He gave Jeanne a hard stare, "besides, you know as well as I do that's not the point that Chat is trying to argue when they use the word 'Faker.'"
Jeanne blushed in embarrassment and scratched her cheek, "I suppose you have a point."
Dark Jeanne's eyes widened in surprise at his statement, but then she furrowed her brows, "what's your deal?"
He turned to Dark Jeanne.
"Deal about what?"
"This whole conversation! I'm the Dragon Witch, you know? I killed millions, I literally sent my own troops after you to kill you!! So why are you treating me with kindness after everything I did?!"
[ViveLaKalos donated 100 bits]
["For once I agree with the Dragon Witch, why Gudao?!!"]
He frowned, "because it's difficult to be angry at someone who is merely lashing out against a cruel world."
She fell silent at his words.
The world shook, the environment glitched as if it came undone at its seams.
"You might not have Jeanne's memories of Madame Romee, but you still bear the memory of being burned at the stake. If you were forced to live with such a terrible experience, I can see why you would do everything in your power to destroy your tormentors. "
[Shit take Gudao. Shit take. ]
"Does that mean you agree with my actions? " Dark Jeanne asked.
He could feel the judging stares of his servants and his audience on him, but he was not going to censor himself.
"No. I don't. I don't approve of your senseless genocide, nor do I like that you tried to kill me, and I especially don't like that your dragon killed Kiyohime, but I don't think it's right to deny your existence. Because to deny your existence would mean to deny your crimes as well."
He narrowed his eyes at her, "You gleefully committed grave sins against people who didn't deserve it, and I cannot let that injustice slide. Real existences warrant real consequences…"
The world shone a brilliant white, the sign that Emiya could no longer maintain his reality marble up. Yet, even with the world literally coming apart around him, he continued to speak.
"Therefore, I acknowledge your existence, Jeanne D'Arc, so I hope you are ready to face the real consequences of your actions. "
The light intensified, blinding him.
The blinding light vanished, taking the permanent sunset of Unlimited Blade Works along with it, and the blue sky of France returned.
But the consternated expression from Jeanne was still there.